First Christmas Ever
by Fenixy
Summary: Phoebe Dragoneel's first Christmas with Fairy Tail! (A pretty long One Shot)


It was a snowy night in Magnolia and certain pair of emerald green eyes was gazing out a Celestial mage's window. Her eyes glowed with wonder as the blonde girl was playing with her now shoulder length red hair.

"It looks so fluffy and soft!" The small girl said in excitement. "Yeah, it can be…" Lucy chuckled, "But it can also be pretty painful too…" She still had a bruise in her back from Natsu throwing a snowball at her. "From that… snowballs… fight?" Phoebe asked. Lucy was still pretty shocked at how she didn't know about things like that. Phoebe still is pretty young, but she didn't know about many modern things like snowball fights and snow angels. _What a childhood…_

"There!" Lucy said once she was done with Phoebe's hair. She had taken her red hair and pulled her bangs over with a green butterfly hair clip and braided a part of her hair that ended in a ponytail, where she had curled the ends. Phoebe adored it. "You look great!" Tony, Phoebe's Exceed exclaimed. "Really?" Phoebe blushed lightly looking into the hand mirror Lucy had handed her. "Now… for your outfit…"

"What is all this for again?" Phoebe asked the blonde mage. "It's for Fairy Tail Christmas party!" Lucy said with an excited smile, "We throw one every year and the whole guild and town are welcomed to it!" She looked at Phoebe as she stood up and saw a confused look on her and her Exceed's faces as they tilted their heads. "W-What is it?"

"What's… Christmas?" They both asked.

"EH?! You've never heard of Christmas?" The girl and the lemur-cat shook their heads. Lucy hit herself with the palm of her hand, "Geeez you two! How can you not know?" They shrugged their shoulders and she shook her head. "Well… I'll explain as we shop!" She said as they left for the town.

While they shopped, Lucy had Phoebe try on many different outfits, many of which didn't seem to be of the Dragon Slayer's liking. One was a short red sparkling strapless dress that Lucy said looked perfect on her petite body, but Phoebe felt a little uncomfortable on how it felt like it would just slip off and that it was something really flashy. Phoebe didn't want to have a Grey-like issue. Another was a longer dress and it's straps wrapped around the back of her neck, but it showed a little bit of cleavage (something she doesn't really have anyways) and she made a comment about not wanting to dress like Lucy, but the Celestial didn't listen as she found another dress. Lucy was starting to get a bit frustrated and insulted that Phoebe didn't like any of the dresses she picked out, until one caught the Phoenix Dragon's eye.

"Let's try that one!" Phoebe rushed to pick it up and try it on. When Phoebe stepped out of the dressing room, she was wearing a sweater like dress that hung off the shoulder. It had long sleeves and, because of the off shoulder design, one sleeve hanged longer than the other. "How about this one?!" Phoebe seemed excited about this particular simple dress. Lucy contemplated and looked at the price. "2,000 jewels?!" She looked at Phoebe with horror. Phoebe grinned innocently, "Pleeeease Lucy-chan~!" She pleaded with puppy dog eyes. "But… my rent…" Lucy mumbled. "Next mission we go on you can have my share," Phoebe declared. "R-really?" Lucy asked, "But… it feels like I'm taking money from a little kid…" "Don't worry about it!" Phoebe smiled, "Think of it as a friendly repayment!" "Well… if you put it that way…" By the time Lucy finally replied, she had already mentally agreed and paid for the dress.

"Thanks Lucy!" Phoebe hugged her bag against her chest with a cheerful grin as they headed back to Lucy's apartment. "You're welcome," She completely forgot that she just paid a lot for a single dress because of the joy that it brought to Phoebe's face. "Now… that will be your only present from me then." Lucy stated firmly, holding a finger to the young girl.

"Present?" Her and Tony asked. "During Christmas, we exchange presents to each other," Lucy explained, "A present is something that if given to another, like how I paid for your dress and gave it to you." "I see…" Phoebe looked at the snow on the ground, "I didn't know about that… so I haven't gotten anyone any presents…" "Do you want to go look for some right now?" Lucy asked. Phoebe nodded vigorously. "Alright! Then I'll shop too, I still need to by Erza and Grey a gift…" She mumbled as she and Phoebe walked back in the direction they came from.

Lucy watched as the two newest members of Fairy Tail gaze in the windows of the shops and look in amazement at the toys. They looked in clothing stores, toy stores, book stores, and even little pastry shops for gifts. Everywhere they went, Phoebe and Tony saw something they've never seen before.

"So…" Lucy began as she took a bite of the cake she just bought to share with Phoebe and Tony, now accompanied with Plue, "If you don't mind me asking… but what exactly did you do around this time…" She didn't finish when she saw the depressed look on the red haired girl. She watched as Phoebe sank her chin into her scarf that looked like Natsu's. "Nithya didn't really let me go out much when it was cold," she explained, "She said that I would get sick and that we couldn't risk it." "So you stayed inside all of winter?" Phoebe nodded. "That sounds dreadful…" "It would have been if I didn't have Vinter and Amaka around," Lucy saw her smile behind the scarf, "When Nithya was away, we would play childish games like tag and any other games we've seen other children play." Lucy saw the distant look in her green eyes as she recalled her past.

"Phoebe? Lucy?" The two girls looked up and saw the two former-Phantom Lord mages. "Oh, Hey Juvia, Gajeel!" Lucy smiled. "Hey." Gajeel replied coarsely. "Don't be rude!" Juvia pouted, "What are you two doing out?" The water mage asked blinking her big blue eyes. "Just some last minute Christmas shopping," Lucy smiled looking back at Phoebe. "Uh… Y-Yeah!" Phoebe finally blinked back to reality. "Oh, hey Juvia, hey Gajeel." "You just now noticed us?" Gajeel asked in an annoyed tone. Phoebe back up a little and gulped, "S-Sorry…"

"Don't be rude Gajeel-san!" Juvia vexed again, "We're out shopping too, Juvia is helping Gajeel shop for Levy." "For Levy, huh?" Lucy teased. "Shut up cheerleader…" "I'm not a cheerleader!"

"Um… Lucy…" Phoebe mumbled as she looked around at the shops from her seat. "What is it?" "What should I get Natsu-nii?" "Didn't you get him something already?" "Yeah… but…" She pulls out a dragon plush, "I don't think this is enough…"

"That's kind of lame," Gajeel opinionated, "and cliché to get a _Dragon_ Slayer and _dragon doll_." "But I don't know what else to get him…" Phoebe felt a bit disappointed. Everyone was silent for a little bit. Then Phoebe's head popped up.

"I got an idea!"

The rest looked at her as she stood up and looked around energetically. "Phoebe?" "I'll be right back!" She exclaimed as she raced off. _Actually…_ "Hey Lucy!" Lucy looked up at the girl in the distance, "You can go off without me! I'll meet you guys at Fairy Tail for the party!" Then she turned and raced off.

"What in the world is that girl doing?" Gajeel asked, confused as the other two girls were.

In the next few hours, everyone gathered at the guild hall for the gift exchange. The Shadow Gear boys were showering Levy in an absurd amount of gifts, the Strauss siblings were giving out gifts to every single guild member, and Natsu was picking fights. Even on this special occasion, everyone was still acting the same. Cana was chugging alcohol by the barrels, literally, Gray stripped out of his Santa Claus attire, and Lucy was watching it all from afar.

"Hey, Juvia," Lucy called out the girl that was _admiring_ Gray from a distance, "Have you seen Phoebe since yesterday?" The blunette shook her head, "No, Juvia hasn't, you?" Lucy shook her head also, "I'm a bit worried."

"The fire girl can take care of herself," Gajeel inputted, in some sort of strange Santa suit and a guitar strapped to his back, "She's a Dragon Slayer after all." "I still worry…" Lucy repeated. Gajeel's words didn't bring and sort of comfort at all, just because Phoebe can be just about as reckless as anyone else in Fairy Tail. That was a fact. Lucy just sighed.

Then the doors to the guild flew opened and the Phoenix Dragon Slayer was leaning over her knees panting like she had just ran a marathon in the dress Lucy had bought her and black pantyhose. Tony was close behind. "We…ha..ha.. made it…" She panted standing straight up. "Uhhhh! I… don't want to move anymore…" She whined as she slid into a seat of a picnic table and laid her head on the table top.

"Oi, Phoebe," Gray called to her, "Where have you been?" Phoebe just groaned, and rolled her head to rest on her chin and looked up at the Ice mage, "I got stuck on a train…" "How did you-?" Gray asked with sweat accumulating. _Why was she on a train? _"Her motion sickness got the best of her…" Tony groaned, now lying on the table next to Phoebe's head, "You know you're really heavy…" "Shut up Tony…" She whined.

"Hey! Everyone!" Mirajane's voice echoed around the guild hall, "If you haven't handed out your gifts, better hurry! We'll be opening them in a few minutes!" "Shoot!" Phoebe shot up and started going through the large sack she had carried in with her. "Here you go." She said to everyone she handed gifts too. This included Gajeel, Cana, and many others in the guild. Out of all the gifts, she handed Natsu the smallest bag of them all. Natsu raised a brow as Phoebe smiled trying to contain her excitement. As she handed out gifts, many of the guild member had gotten her gift too.

"Alright, did everyone get their presents handed out?" "YEAH!" Everyone shouted in replied to the elder Strauss, "Okay, everyone can begin opening them!" And with that, the room roared and the mauling of wrapping paper began.

Someone wrapped a full strawberry cheesecake for Erza and she nearly cried with joy. Someone got Lucy a keychain with miniature zodiac gate keys on them. Grey got clothes and belt with a note saying "Keep your clothes on". Wendy got hair accessories. Someone gave Juvia a drawing of her and Grey and she didn't put it down. Gajeel got iron, which he nibbled on as he opened other presents. These were only some of the presents each of them got.

Phoebe opened her presents with care. She was happy with each of the presents she got. Erza got her a locket necklace that was heart shaped with a red jewel in the center. The pictures inside were of the Fairy Tail guild in their liveliness. Phoebe remembered when the picture was drawn by Reedus. It was the day she joined Fairy Tail. Smiling, Phoebe pulled the chain over her head and let it hang over her scarf. Wendy and Juvia got her ribbons the put in her hair. Gajeel got her an iron band, what she was supposed to do with it baffled her. Levy got her a book that she remembered mentioning to the blunette that caught her eye.

After opening everyone else's present, Phoebe slowly opened the one Natsu had given her. Unsure of what it was, because of his terrible wrapping left it looking like a wad of Christmas paper, she saw something unbelievable.

It was the plush.

The same dragon plush doll that she had chosen to give him at first before returning it for her new gift, she sighed of both relief and disbelief.

"Something wrong?" Natsu frowned at her. She looked up at him in a panic, "N-No! It's just that I almost got you the same thing!" Phoebe explained. "You don't like it then?" He looked hurt. "N-No! It's not like that!" Phoebe defended, "It's just…" She rubbed the back of her head, "Now I feel like my present is a bit over the top…" "This?" Natsu held up the tiny bag, "It's so small though…" "Just open it." Phoebe smiled, the same excitement from before some what faded.

Natsu dug two fingers into the small red bag and moved the tissue paper around to pull out a small jar closed with a cork and a green ribbon around the entrance. Inside the jar was a flickering flame. Natsu began to uncork the jar when Phoebe exclaimed, "D-Don't open it!"

"But aren't I supposed to eat it?" "No! That's not why I did that!" Phoebe shouted franticly. "Then why?" "It's a special fire that Hoonan taught me," She explained, "It's a kind of fire that is mixed with my life energy." "What's it for?" Natsu questioned, eyeing the small flickering flame. "It's for that if we are separated, you'll always have a part of me with you." Natsu looked down at his sister with some confusion in his face. Phoebe sighed, "The flame will never go out as long as I'm alive, but if I were to die for some reason, the fire with go out."

"Soo…." Natsu tapped on the cork top, "I can't eat it?" "You can…but I doubt it'll taste good," She looked up at Natsu, "But please don't, to do something like that again would be very tiresome." Natsu nodded and looped the green ribbon around his belt loop.

"Man Natsu, your sister is more thoughtful than you'll ever be," Marcao snickered from afar. "Shut up, are you picking a fight?!" Natsu cried out. "I also think she's too cute to be in any sort of relations with you…" Someone else mumbled. "What does that even mean?!" He turned his head to glare.

"Alright everyone! Ready!" Mira shouted as she was just about to set the golden star on the top of their tree. She was being held by the Master in his large state. Everyone watched and waited in anticipation as she placed the star.

Then everyone shouted in unison, "MERRY CHRISTMAS," before going back to their usual fun and festive selves

Phoebe laughed. She watched as Natsu began picking fights wither everyone, even Lucy when she started laughing at him. Phoebe had never felt such joy before and she never experienced so much kindness. She promised herself that she would never forget this moment or any other that she will experience with her new family.

_I haven't forgotten…_

Now, standing a village much like Magnolia, she stood staring up in sky as it snowed, Her long red hair tied back in a messy bun and she was dressed in a plain red dress that showed a bit of her large bust, which was partly covered by her scarf.

Her heart pulled at the memory and if it wasn't for the fact she was in a public area, she probably would have cried. Her emerald green eyes held a deep pain since the day she remembered her lost.

She gripped tightly around the heart shaped locket around her neck at every happy memory she had of her family. _It's been five years now…_

"Phoebe!" Amaka's voice called out from a distance as she and Vinter had stopped to look at the large decorated tree in the center of town. Phoebe joined them and looked up at the tree top and saw the normal golden star. She expressed a melancholy smile as she looked up at the star and mumbled.

"Merry Christmas…"


End file.
